Contador Isolates Self

[Anonymous]

Right... I understand.

But clearly, he attacked the Shlecks to go for the win (while also not doing any of the work on the climbs). So, he was going for the win, then he wasn't?

That's the part I don't get.

It's a gentlemen's understanding between riders. There is no need for the win for Contador, who already has the yellow jersey, and he still has a good time gap between he and the Schleck's. So why not give the win to someone else that worked really hard and deserves the kudos. In another race or stage in the future they'll remember this and may pay AC back for letting them win.

Andy also could have gone for the win but again, his bro worked really hard and pulled a lot up front. He deserved the win for doing a shload of work in the group of three.

All three were deserving winners today.

 

[croix_de_fer]

Whatever happened to the days when the yellow jersey was "expected" to attack? AC's move failed but I give him credit for trying to shake Team Schleck.

Oh yes, hate to spoil your party but the results will change again tomorrow. LA and AK will move back up GC.

 

[iceaxe]

If this is really true about AC, I think the american military or the CIA should intervene in some way. Lance definitely deserves to win the tour. Maybe pay contador to quit the race or blackmail him.

 

[schnebit]

It's a gentlemen's understanding between riders. There is no need for the win for Contador, who already has the yellow jersey, and he still has a good time gap between he and the Schleck's. So why not give the win to someone else that worked really hard and deserves the kudos. In another race or stage in the future they'll remember this and may pay AC back for letting them win.

Andy also could have gone for the win but again, his bro worked really hard and pulled a lot up front. He deserved the win for doing a shload of work in the group of three.

All three were deserving winners today.

Oh, absolutely! He did the right thing in the end... but, then, why did he attack? Especially when

There is no need for the win for Contador, who already has the yellow jersey, and he still has a good time gap between he and the Schleck's.

?

 

[Chomsky]

And that's not the first time he did that... If LA's twitters are to be believed. Lance is VERY good at playing the PR game and screwing with people's heads. VERY good.

There is a twitter form Levi confirming it and expressing his feelings about AC. Both Levi and Johan in interviews confirmed that AC's attack on Andorre was against team orders.

If you listened to JB in the team car shots yesterday you might have noticed he kept repeating over and over "don't attack, don't attack, let Saxo attack... there is no need." It does not take a genius to see who he was talking to.

 

[schnebit]

If this is really true about AC, I think the american military or the CIA should intervene in some way. Lance definitely deserves to win the tour. Maybe pay contador to quit the race or blackmail him.

It's not about Lance... It's about a clear demonstration of AC's lack of experience.

 

[goober]

And LA twitters are what undermine the team. LA is a *** period. He was not even there. Why did he chase so hard on the descent? To catch Kloden...thats why!! LA needs to just shut up!! Talk about a bad teammate.

Ummm Lance has the same radio feed in his ear that Contador does - he does not need to be right there. I am watching some of the footage now and they keep going to the Astana team car for radio coverage. JB keeps saying no need to attack, keep the tempo, etc. Would be very interesting to hear what transpired around the time of the AC attack. Damn I wish I could walk over to my boss' office and tell him I am going to do something other than what he asks...

 

[TRDean]

There is a twitter form Levi confirming it and expressing his feelings about AC. Both Levi and Johan in interviews confirmed that AC's attack on Andorre was against team orders.

If you listened to JB in the team car shots yesterday you might have noticed he kept repeating over and over "don't attack, don't attack, let Saxo attack... there is no need." It does not take a genius to see who he was talking to.

Actually, all Levi said was we will know where he lost time...he never said AC did this to Klodi!!! Don't read into anything. And is Levi at the race? Just curious.

 

[schnebit]

There is a twitter form Levi confirming it and expressing his feelings about AC. Both Levi and Johan in interviews confirmed that AC's attack on Andorre was against team orders.

If you listened to JB in the team car shots yesterday you might have noticed he kept repeating over and over "don't attack, don't attack, let Saxo attack... there is no need." It does not take a genius to see who he was talking to.

Very true... There was simply no need for AC to attack. Why not conserve your energy at every opportunity? Clearly he's getting tired... hopefully he can hold it together in the TT tomorrow.

 

[TRDean]

Ummm Lance has the same radio feed in his ear that Contador does - he does not need to be right there. I am watching some of the footage now and they keep going to the Astana team car for radio coverage. JB keeps saying no need to attack, keep the tempo, etc. Would be very interesting to hear what transpired around the time of the AC attack. Damn I wish I could walk over to my boss' office and tell him I am going to do something other than what he asks...

If you get that to work with your boss...let me know the technique!

 

[Anonymous]

I think he chased to keep himself within a shot of the podium. He didn't want to risk bringing Wiggins back, so once he realized Wiggo was dropped he went.

Agreed. His job was to stay on the wheel of Wiggins and keep him in check. (sounds like a good teammate to me?) Once he saw Wiggins crack he went off to try and preserve time to get on the podium behind Contador when they hit Paris.

(you have to admit, that was some pretty good riding by LA to get back some time. Yesterday too!)

As for Kloden, he simply ran out of gas at the end. He was on LA's and Nibali's wheel but couldn't keep up the acceleration with them. Not LA's fault. Kloden just ran out of gas.

 

[Aguirre]

He should thank his TTT for his position heading into Verbier. The team has carried this kid to the brink. Contador should be thanking Bruneel for this title. I doubt he will.....

what the ****!!!!
It's Lance a teammate of Alberto ready to help him? No
Was Levi ready to help AC having Lance? No
Does Bruynnel favourits Lance in tactics? Yes
It's Kloden a good teammate? yes, he is
Will AC increase differences and arrive alone today in another team than in Astana? Sure

stop, throwing **** on AC, he maybe made wrong, but we only know right now, he asked permission to Kloden to attack and he agreed, then????

 

[schnebit]

Actually, all Levi said was we will know where he lost time...he never said AC did this to Klodi!!! Don't read into anything. And is Levi at the race? Just curious.

No... probably at home watching Versus like the rest of us! Levi understands team tactics probably better than any of us here. Read between the lines, he was criticizing AC's move without openly 'criticizing' AC...

 

[goober]

Actually, all Levi said was we will know where he lost time...he never said AC did this to Klodi!!! Don't read into anything. And is Levi at the race? Just curious.

Isn't that all we do here - read into things, speculate, etc. I just read both twitters and I totally read 'if K loses podium by 2 sec it is because AC attacked' - could be wrong tho; but, I doubt it

 

[Chomsky]

Actually, all Levi said was we will know where he lost time...he never said AC did this to Klodi!!! Don't read into anything. And is Levi at the race? Just curious.

Actually he did read Levi's comments in the order he made them.

#
Well, that wasn't a good move!!

#
Now Alberto is isolated AND Andreas is dropped!
#
I guess it's not meant to be for Andreas, what was a near sure victory will now be difficult.

# If Andreas finishes 4th in GC by less than 2' from 3rd, we know where he lost it. . .

 

[hampstenrider]

From Velonews:

“On the climb, when I was speaking with Andreas. I said I am going to attack,” Contador said after the stage. “He said, ‘if you want, attack.’ I thought it was going to be a mano-a-mano with Andy Schleck and I. Then I saw that Andreas was struggling and I wasn’t distancing the Schlecks, this is the big regret I have from the day.

“It was a tactic we thought about before the stage, to attack to distance the Schlecks,” Contador added. “I spoke with (Bruyneel), he told me to attack if I wanted, I attacked and I saw that the brothers were strong, I saw that Andreas stayed back, I was constantly looking back to see if he was coming back but he suffered a bonk behind and he couldn’t regain the wheel – for that I am pretty sad about it.”

 

[Aguirre]

Agreed. His job was to stay on the wheel of Wiggins and keep him in check. (sounds like a good teammate to me?) Once he saw Wiggins crack he went off to try and preserve time to get on the podium behind Contador when they hit Paris.

(you have to admit, that was some pretty good riding by LA to get back some time. Yesterday too!)

As for Kloden, he simply ran out of gas at the end. He was on LA's and Nibali's wheel but couldn't keep up the acceleration with them. Not LA's fault. Kloden just ran out of gas.

well, Lance is just doing his own race, anything to do with being a good teammate.
If he will be enough strong he will be in the first split with AC and Kloden. Simply he wasn't able. If you agree Kloden was out of gas in last 100 m, you should agree he was same out of gas in the last colombiere kms...
So, now is Contador the bad teammate? cannot believe american fans at all

 

[schnebit]

I find it hard to believe that anyone sitting at home watching wasn't like, "what the heck are you doing?" when Contador attacked... I was sitting here shaking my head.

Too much at risk... what if, after the attack failed, one of the Shleck's countered? W/O a team mate there to chase, AC would have had to do all the work...

The Shleck's could have worked Alberto over pretty nicely... And you know AC realied it, because he kept looking back for Klodi... He was probably like, "Oh crap..."

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, absolutely! He did the right thing in the end... but, then, why did he attack? Especially when

?

Probably to see if he could crack the brother's Schleck. Obviously it didn't work. So as you saw on the descent he just rode on their wheels. Sometimes you attack to try and put the other racers in trouble and when it works you put time between you and the others.

Hope that helps.

 

[fulcrum]

And LA twitters are what undermine the team. LA is a *** period. He was not even there. Why did he chase so hard on the descent? To catch Kloden...thats why!! LA needs to just shut up!! Talk about a bad teammate.

Why is a domestique questioning the team leaders decission-making in the race, publicly on twitter? Looks to me that Contador outsmarted the fox in the henhouse. I guess twitting and bringing up water bottles is all that is left.

 

[Publicus]

then turn it around, what did contador do?
he was the strongest, so attacked. just like bruyneel had lance do in al his tour wins. he never waited so azevedo or someone could move from 5 to 4 or whatever.

btw, not taking noval was obvious.

Absolutely. I believe it was Heras that was well placed in 2004 (5th overall) and they chewed him up and spit him out on the infamous stage with Floyd Landis leading the way.

I'd understand the uproar if he was merely riding tempo with Kloden and then attacked. He was riding with his two closest competitors at that point and having been part of the Official thread for this stage, it looked to a lot of people like the Schlecks were teetering on the edge but the Contador and Kloden were fine. Contador went and when he looked back and saw Kloden wasn't able to respond to the Schleck's acceleration he got off the gas.

This kerfuffle is just beyond stupid. Especially when you put it into context: Armstrong is announcing a new team sponsor, JB just informed the world he is going to a new team next year headed up by: Lance Armstrong. Now why couldn't these announcements wait until say Monday?

 

[klodifan]

what the ****!!!!
It's Lance a teammate of Alberto ready to help him? No
Was Levi ready to help AC having Lance? No
Does Bruynnel favourits Lance in tactics? Yes
It's Kloden a good teammate? yes, he is
Will AC increase differences and arrive alone today in another team than in Astana? Sure

stop, throwing **** on AC, he maybe made wrong, but we only know right now, he asked permission to Kloden to attack and he agreed, then????

But did Klodi really agree. According to Levi who can speak with authority regarding their interactions:

"I can tell you that AC and AK speak to each other in English, so it's easily possible there was a misunderstanding. I'm sure we will see"

 

[goober]

what the ****!!!!
It's Lance a teammate of Alberto ready to help him? No
Was Levi ready to help AC having Lance? No
Does Bruynnel favourits Lance in tactics? Yes
It's Kloden a good teammate? yes, he is
Will AC increase differences and arrive alone today in another team than in Astana? Sure

stop, throwing **** on AC, he maybe made wrong, but we only know right now, he asked permission to Kloden to attack and he agreed, then????

Now, this is all speculation on my part. Say he asked Kloden but JB is saying keep tempo, don't attack. Who should he listen to? As I recall seeing in a previous stage Kloden does not know ANY spanish and Contador very little english - how were they communicating?

 

[Publicus]

From Velonews:

“On the climb, when I was speaking with Andreas. I said I am going to attack,” Contador said after the stage. “He said, ‘if you want, attack.’ I thought it was going to be a mano-a-mano with Andy Schleck and I. Then I saw that Andreas was struggling and I wasn’t distancing the Schlecks, this is the big regret I have from the day.

“It was a tactic we thought about before the stage, to attack to distance the Schlecks,” Contador added. “I spoke with (Bruyneel), he told me to attack if I wanted, I attacked and I saw that the brothers were strong, I saw that Andreas stayed back, I was constantly looking back to see if he was coming back but he suffered a bonk behind and he couldn’t regain the wheel – for that I am pretty sad about it.”

And yet I bet the faux outrage will not cease one bit. Lance Armstrong's and Levi Leipheimer's ****s are just proof positive that if the latter had stayed in the race, Contador would be fighting an uphill battle against the Schlecks and two of his teammates.

Btw, given Sastre's implosion, what are folks thoughts about Contador going to Cervelo?

 

[goober]

But did Klodi really agree. According to Levi who can speak with authority regarding their interactions:

"I can tell you that AC and AK speak to each other in English, so it's easily possible there was a misunderstanding. I'm sure we will see"

dang - beat me to it.